Nasim Wali urges Pakhtuns to unite

PESHAWAR: Awami National Party-Wali (ANP-W) Chairperson Begum Nasim Wali Khan on Sunday urged the Pakhtuns to unite for their rights.

"I am striving to secure the rights of the Pakhtuns and get due share for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). If the Pakhtuns support me, I will win the struggle by the grace of Allah," she told a public gathering to mark the death anniversaries of Bacha Khan and Khan Abdul Wali Khan.

ANP-W senior vice-president Nawabzada Mohsin Ali Khan, provincial president Farid Khan Toofan, Abdur Rahman Khan of Kafoor Dheri, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, Ateefur Rahman and others addressed the gathering.

Begum Nasim said the Pakhtuns were being deceived. "Chief Minister Pervez Khattak says he is satisfied with CPEC, but KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, who belongs to the same party, has moved court against the project, which shows the contradiction in their words and deeds," she said.

The ANP-W leader said that she would not allow anyone to usurp the rights of the Pakhtuns and they would go to every extent to get the rights of the province and tribal areas in the multi-billion dollars project.

She paid glowing tributes to Bacha Khan and Wali Khan and said that Bacha Khan's message of peace and non-violence was a golden principle for gaining their rights. She said that Bacha Khan went to every city, village and street to spread the message of peace. She said unfortunately the Pakhtuns were dragged into a war under a well-hatched conspiracy.

She said that Wali Khan was the greatest Pakhtun leader that history has seen ever who led the Pakhtuns in the right direction. "He was a great politician. But his son Asfandyar Wali Khan earned a bad name for his family," she added.

The ANP-W leader alleged that Asfandyar compromised on the rights of the Pakhtuns for his personal gains. Begum Nasim supported the merger of tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She said the tribal areas must be merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as it is the wish and desire of the people of the tribal areas.